KUALA NERUS, Feb 27 — “I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest when the Deputy Prime Minister called out my name to join him on stage,” said a nervous and jittery Daniel Tyler, from Bristol, England.

He was describing his first reaction when Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the approval of his Malaysian permanent resident status at the opening of the Terengganu Expo 2018 here yesterday.

“I was shocked when he (Ahmad Zahid) called out my name and asked me to join him on stage. All eyes were on me...after I shook his hand, I ran off the stage because I was so shy,” the 28-year-old told reporters after the announcement.

Fondly referred to as ‘Mat Dan’ by the locals, the Englishman who speaks the Terengganu dialect fluently, came to Malaysia in 2009 and has been living in the country since then.

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He converted to Islam and goes by the Muslim name, Mohammad  Kareef Daniel Abdullah. He married a Terengganu lass in March last year.

‘Mat Dan’, who was appointed ambassador of the Terengganu Department of Environment in 2016, is a television programme host. 

Speaking at a press conference later, Ahmad Zahid said ‘Mat Dan’ had fulfilled the criteria and conditions of becoming a Malaysian permanent resident.

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“The conditions include the security aspects and his contributions in promoting Terengganu products which indirectly attract inbound tourists,” he said. — Bernama